Picking Up Strays
by justareader13
Summary: Steve comes home from a run with an unexpected plus one.


**AN:** Mild sexual content.

* * *

Sam knew something was up the second he walked into the kitchen to see Steve standing awkwardly in front of one of the cabinets, which he was clearly holding closed with his foot, smiling innocently at Sam. Steve got into an inordinate amount of trouble so the first thing that Sam asked him was,

"What did you do?" Steve took a deep breath and did his headshake/shrug thing, a clear sign he was either about to outright lie or tell a half-truth.

"Nothing."

"Uh-huh." Sam replied dryly. He made to walk towards the oven when Steve glanced at the floor before suddenly jumping in his space, blocking him.

"I was thinking, we should go away for a little while."

"We just got back." Sam pointed out.

"But that was for business. We were looking for Bucky. I was thinking more like a vacation."

"That's nice and all but I'm more interested with what you're hiding in the cabinet." Steve glanced back at the cabinet which he was still holding closed with his foot.

"There's nothing there." Something moved inside the cabinet, causing a ruckus. Sam gave Steve an unimpressed look before waving him off. He leaned forward and pulled the cabinet opened, rearing back in surprise at what was staring back at him.

"Really, Steve? A dog?"

"Surprise…?"

"Where the hell did you get it?" Sam asked, moving back as the black and white border collie climbed out of the cabinet and walked over to where Steve had poured some dog food into one of Sam's cereal bowls.

"I was running in the park and she kept running after me. I thought someone in the park might own her but after a while I noticed no one else was there. Plus, she doesn't have a collar. I made a deal with myself: if she followed me out of the park, I'd approach her. She did and somehow I found myself buying her some dog food from the grocery store."

"Steve—"

"I'm not saying we keep her but come on, look at that face. She doesn't deserve to be on the street." Sam glanced down at the dog. It was staring back up at him innocently. Sam felt his resolve slipping ever so slightly.

"We take it to the vet, check it out and see if anyone is missing a dog. After that, I make no promises."

"Deal."

* * *

According to a veterinarian, the dog was healthy, if a little malnourished. She didn't have a chip so they couldn't locate an owner that way and no one had come looking for a border collie recently. Sam and Steve took the dog back home to Sam's place and Steve had taken photos of her to put up posters but they hadn't heard anything yet.

In the meanwhile, Sam did his best to cohabitate with the animal. It wasn't that he hated animals or anything, it was just an adjustment to live with a dog. Sam wasn't sure he was transitioning well.

"Steve!" He shouted, staring at his couch. He could hear Steve's footsteps come thundering towards him. He skidded to a stop, looking at Sam urgently.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Why don't you look and tell me what's wrong." Steve glanced towards the couch and immediately winced.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. Having that thing shed all over the place is one thing but shitting on the couch is a completely different story."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll clean it up. Maisie can't hold it in sometimes." Steve said apologetically.

"Maisie? You named it? What happens when its owner comes, Steve?"

"It's been two weeks and we've heard nothing. I'm starting to think no one's coming for her."

"What happens then? We travel all the time, what are we going to do with her?"

"I was thinking we should take a break until further notice." Sam paused at that.

"You're putting your search on hold for a dog?"

"No, it's not for Maisie, it's for us. I know this search has been stressful for you even though you haven't said so. I know you're believing in it less and less and we haven't made any headway at all. Nat's on it. She and Nick have a better chance than we do. Anytime we get close to Bucky, he just runs away again. He doesn't want to see me. I'm trying to accept that. Maisie helps." Sam stared at him before kissing his teeth.

"Get it house broken." Steve beamed at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek before looking back at the couch with a grimace.

"I'll clean it." Just then Maisie came trotting out to the living room and stared up at them as if she hadn't done a thing.

"Aww." Steve cooed. Sam could literally feel him melting against him at the mere sight of the dog. Sam rolled his eyes and left Steve to his lovefest.

* * *

"Dog food is expensive, like ridiculously expensive. Did you know that?" Steve said as they walked through the aisles of the Whole Foods Market. Sam had never set foot inside this place before and he didn't plan to do so at all but Steve wanted the best quality food he could find for Maisie and thus they found themselves here.

"If you go for the overpriced "organic" stuff, then yeah I did." Sam answered, staring at the 30-pound bag of Blue Buffalo priced at $45.99. There was a 6-pound bag for $14.99 but that was still way too much if you asked Sam, considering Maisie would put it all away in a week.

"I don't know why we didn't just go to the supermarket by my house and get some Alpo or Purina. It's just as good and half the price."

"It's not organic."

" _You_ don't eat organic. What do you care that Maisie does? That Blue Buffalo commercial obviously got to you."

"I know. I swore I'd be able to weather the enemies' tactics but alas I fell for the Trojan horse, Sam." Steve replied with mock gravitas.

"Does that mean we can leave?" Sam questioned.

"We're already here. Might as well buy something. The Whole Paws is still on the pricey side but the Tender and True is slightly more doable."

"I guess it might weigh on the Great Depression-era boy stuck inside of you a little less than all this other crap will." Sam replied, grabbing a bag of dry chicken and brown rice.

They paid the $20 dollars for the food and went outside where Maisie was waiting, her leash tied to a bike rack. There was a child nearby who looked like they wanted nothing more than to run over and hug her. She seemed so innocent to everyone else but Sam knew better.

Case in point, Maisie didn't want to eat.

They put her food in a bowl and left it there. An hour passed and another and another and another and she still wouldn't eat. Sam smacked Steve's hand as he made to give her some of his food while they ate dinner.

"Don't. That's why she's not eating her own food. You've been feeding her off your plate."

"Not all the time. Just when she asks." Steve defended.

"She always asks. What's the point of spending hours looking for your choice of perfect organic dog food if you're just going to feed her the stuff we eat anyway?"

"But Sam, she's hungry." Steve said, looking down sympathetically at the dog who looked back at him expectantly.

"Do. Not. Feed. Her. If she's hungry, she can eat her food. When she gets hungry enough she'll eat it, just leave her." Steve pouted but followed Sam's advice.

Maisie sat looking up at them the whole time, occasionally barking and earning a sharp reprimand from Sam. Eventually she began eating the food they gave her. Of course, this meant they were going to have to shell out money for overpriced bags of dog food.

Sam was not pleased.

* * *

Sam wasn't a heavy sleeper. At the same time, not every creak in the house woke him. That was why it took him a moment to gather his bearings before he realized it was Steve shaking him awake.

"What?" Sam asked, dropping his head back to the pillow.

"Maisie can't sleep." He replied.

"'the hell are you talking about?" On queue, a whimper came from the other side of the bedroom door.

"Ignore it. She needs to learn to sleep by herself in the bed we got for her." Sam mumbled into his pillow.

"But Sam, she's whining and lonely and I can't sleep listening to her." Steve replied in a slightly whiny tone that was becoming all to familiar when Sam put his foot down concerning Maisie's care. Sam could already tell that Steve would be that parent who let his kid get away with everything, up to and including murder.

"Then go out there with her but she is not sleeping in this bed. Take the couch if you want." Steve laid beside him silently for a moment, listening to Maisie whimper before he pushed himself up. Sam watched him incredulously as he muttered to himself.

"Couch isn't so bad." He walked out of the room, bringing Maisie with him. Sam rolled his eyes and moved to the middle of the bed. Whatever, he didn't mind having the bed to himself.

Except he wasn't by himself.

Sam woke up some time later. It was still nighttime and he could tell he wasn't alone. As soon as he turned over, he was face to face with Maisie. Sam sat up and glared at Steve laying on the other side of the dog. He kicked at him roughly until Steve went flying off the other end of the bed, Maisie popping up and jumping off the bed after him.

"Sam." Steve groaned from the floor.

"I told you no and I meant it."

"I'm starting to think you don't like Maisie."

"Are you really?" Sam deadpanned. Steve grumbled but decided to stay on the floor. Sam didn't stop him, if the dog meant that much to him then by all means, let him stay there. Let them stay there together.

* * *

As annoyed as Sam was in general with him these days, he still loved Steve. That was helped by the fact that Steve was an ace in bed. Sam moaned and clutched the pillow under his head as Steve pumped into him at a rate that was fast but not bruising.

"Mmm, keep going." Sam moaned.

Yeah, his life got flipped upside down seemingly on Steve's whims but damn this felt good. His sister would say he was dick-notized if she knew but hell, if it felt like this it couldn't be that bad.

Sam turned his head into his shoulder as Steve ground inside of him. He opened his eyes and jumped ever so slightly. The damn dog was standing in the doorway looking at them.

"Steve, stop."

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" He asked, stilling his actions. Sam nodded towards the door.

"Oh."

"Get rid of her." Steve nodded, slipping out of him and walking over to the door. He kneeled down, rubbing his hand over the dog's head, scratching behind its ear.

"Aw, I think she's lonely." Steve cooed.

"Are you serious? That's too bad, we're kind of busy." Sam replied, gesturing to his naked body.

"Yeah, sorry. Just ten more minutes, Maisie." He assured her before closing the door.

"Now where we?" Steve said with a grin. Sam rolled his eyes but returned the smile as Steve settled back on top of him. They had gotten into the grove of it again and Sam had a pleasant buzz building in his stomach when there was a sudden whining noise on the other side of the door. Steve's hips stuttered and he made to look towards the door but Sam grabbed his face.

"Ignore it." He ordered. Steve nodded and pushed deeper into him. Sam moaned as Steve hit a particularly sensitive spot. Another whine came from beyond the door. Steve slowed down causing Sam to hiss angrily at him.

"Don't you dare stop."

"I'm just gonna check on her, it'll take a minute, a second." Steve said, slipping off of him. Sam let out a frustrated breath before pushing himself up.

"You know what? Don't bother, you can take care of yourself and I'll do the same." Sam said walking into the bathroom, ignoring Steve's stuttering protests. He slammed the door closed, leaning back against it while huffing out a breath of frustration. He looked down at his boner before rolling his eyes and turning on the shower.

* * *

It was late when a loud beeping suddenly woke both Steve and Sam up. Sam hazily woke up as the lamp on Steve's side of the bed was turned on and he pulled the safe with his gear out from under the bed. He slowly gathered his bearings as the blonde ran around the room, suiting up. He glanced at Sam to see if he was awake.

"Hey, that's the Avengers. We got a mission. I gotta go. Nat's coming to pick me up." He explained quickly.

"Mm-hmm." Sam replied, not bothering to expend the energy it took to speak.

"I put some food in Maisie's bowl for the morning and I left the backyard door open so she won't go in the house. I'll call you when I can." Steve assured him, leaning down to kiss his cheek before grabbing his shield, flicking off the lamp and leaving the room. Sam turned over and went back to sleep.

When he woke up, he knew something was wrong. He glanced at the clock and saw it was three hours past the time he usually woke up to go on his run. He felt heavy, like his body weighed a ton, and he didn't want to get out of bed ever. He knew what was wrong with him and he knew if he let himself, he really wouldn't get up. He grabbed every bit of waning willpower he had and pushed himself up off the bed. He stretched his arms above his head, listening to his back and neck pop as he did. He needed to see a masseuse at some point. Not today though. When he looked up, Maisie was at the side of the bed staring at him.

"Oh, you're here." Sam disregarded her and went to the bathroom. He heard her steps pitter-pattering behind him but didn't turn to her. He could see hair from her tail sticking in from underneath the door. Sam shook his head as he focused on brushing his teeth. Steve's dog was a fucking stalker.

He left the bathroom and made his way downstairs. The backdoor was slightly open as Steve said it would be and her bowl was still half full. She still followed Sam around though, walking right on his heels.

"What do you want from me?" He asked her. She continued staring at him as he made himself a smoothie and some sausages and eggs. She didn't bother him for his food, content to sit by his feet and follow him to the living room where he sank onto the couch and turned the television on to a random channel to fill the apartment with noise.

He didn't know if it was a coincidence he was feeling this way and Steve had just left for a mission, not even telling Sam how long he'd be gone, or if he was simply due to crash. Either way, there was nothing for it. He just had to ride it out. He laid back on the couch, staring at the TV blindly, Maisie laying down on the floor bedside him. About an hour into Sam laying in a haze Maisie jumped up and began nudging at his hand.

"What?" He mumbled gruffly. She started pulling at the hem of his shirt with her teeth, trying to get him off the couch. Sam sighed and sat up. She ran towards the stairs and looked back at him to see if he was following.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." He followed her upstairs to his bedroom and stopped in the middle of the room as she stood by the dresser looking at him expectantly.

"What?" He asked. She whined at him before pawing at the bottom drawer. Sam walked over and pulled it open. Her leash was in there sitting atop some of Steve's workout clothes.

"Come on, I'm not in the mood." Maisie ran around in a circle, looking up at him while panting excitedly.

"Fine." Sam said, kissing his teeth. He pulled on his basketball shorts and his sweatshirt along with his socks and sneakers and hooked Maisie on to the leash. She walked ahead of him down the stairs and out the door. It was bright outside and Sam half decided to go back but Maisie pulled him down the street, making them walk towards the National Mall. Sam sighed. Whatever, he missed his usual workout time anyway.

They hit the mall and made about three circuits. Sam focused on the activity he was engaging in, his feet working one in front of the other, his breathing slipping into it's practiced rhythm, his heart beating in his chest, sweat beads gathering on his skin. It was familiar and momentarily lifted the haze that settled over him. After his third go around, Sam gave up and collapsed on to a bench. Maisie jumped up beside him and rested her head on his lap. She licked at his hand once but otherwise was content to lounge against him.

Sam gave her a look. He didn't forget that she shit on his couch or that he had to finish himself off because she encapsulated Steve's attention but he did admit she was cute, if you were a dog-person. After a 30-minute rest in which Sam almost nodded off, Maisie jumped up and tugged on her leash.

"Yeah, yeah. We're going." Sam stood up with slightly less effort than before and let her pull him out of the National Mall and down the route back to the house.

She ran inside once he unleashed her and made a beeline for her bowl. Sam decided he might as well eat too even though he wasn't really hungry. He wouldn't feel hunger when he was like this. He made a simple sandwich from some cold cuts in the fridge and ate an apple with it. He swiftly retreated back to the sofa once he was done and returned to his spot, half dangling over the edge of the couch, staring at the television. Maisie took up her place sentinel by his side, nudging her body under his hand so it rested on her back. Sam stroked her fur and felt a sense of calm added to everything else raging in his body.

He knew well enough what service dogs were, he was a counselor, he just never considered one for himself. He found other methods of handling himself that didn't require an outside apparatus and he had always done well enough with talking to people that he didn't need a service pet. However, he couldn't deny that Maisie's presence in this instance was more helpful than not. Maybe Steve had been on to something after all.

When Sam woke up on the day Steve returned, it was to find his boyfriend standing above the bed staring at him.

"Damn it, Steve. You're as much of a creep as your dog is." Sam groused after jumping slightly in fright.

"Yeah, speaking of that." Steve gestured to Sam's side where Maisie was curled up at his back.

"What? She helps keep me warm." Steve stared at him with surprise before a smile overtook his face.

"So you guys are friends now, huh?"

"Something like that. You're still cleaning up her shit though. Walks I'll do but you better bring the bag with you." Steve rolled his eyes before slipping into bed beside him and curling up on his other side. Sam smiled in contentment at the warmth all around him.


End file.
